https://ridewithgps.com/routes/35086494 

 Meet at Federation Square and we'll ride sections of the following trails- Main Yarra, Gardiners Creek, some backstreets, Djerring, East Link, Dandenong South, some backstreets, Red Gum, Waterways, & Mordialloc Creek finishing up at Mordialloc Station.

We can find a place to stop for a coffee and food along the way.

Suitable for beginners as this is mostly a flat ride and there are plenty of bailout options because we're following a train line, so if you're not confident of going the distance come along anyway.

The pace will be social and we will regroup as needed.

Any type of bike in good working order will be ok.

https://www.meetup.com/Melbourne-Bicycle-Touring-Club/events/275999772/

Lets have a look at the question that's being asked more frequently these days- What's the difference between bike touring and bike packing? Some say there is no difference and some say there is, to me there is a clear distinction between the two but in the end they share the most important aspect of out-of-town bike riding- a great sense of adventure.

There are various topics to consider such as:
Go heavy, go light, or go home, and why?
Bike selection
Panniers and/or bags
Food & water
General equipment
Wheels & tyres
Tubes vs tubeless
Terrain/route selection
Let's ask and answer all those dumb questions!  

 https://www.meetup.com/Melbourne-Bicycle-Touring-Club/events/273993411/

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/34661379  

Take the 4.17pm Werribee train from Southern Cross to arrive at Werribee at 4.54pm. Or come on an earlier train 4.07 arriving 4.44

We'll meet at Station Place on the outbound side of Werribee Station and start the ride along the Werribee River Trail with a quick stop at the Werribee Mansion. The ride will then continue along the Federation Trail and some quiet back streets until we meet the Skeleton Creek Trail, this trail will take us to the Cheetham Wetlands and along the beach to Altona.

At Altona we have the option of having dinner- there's pizza, fish & chips, and many other places to eat or get some takeaway and sit in the park.

The pace will be social & easy going.

Any type of bike in good working order will be ok.  

https://www.meetup.com/Melbourne-Bicycle-Touring-Club/events/276081191/

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/35092381 

From under the Flinder's Station bridge Southbank side travelling on through South Melbourne via bike paths to Beaconsfield Parade . Coffee stop in Acland Street and then continue on to Beach Road shared bike path to Half Moon Bay. Lunch at the Cerberus Beach House (above), outside tables for takeaway or bring a beach towel / beach chair and eat on the beach, the vista is magnificent.

Return to the city in reverse, or take the train at Sandringham station.

https://www.meetup.com/Melbourne-Bicycle-Touring-Club/events/276022833/ 

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/35113599

On the 18th of March 1910 Harry Houdini claimed the first controlled powered flight over Diggers Rest on a Voisin plane, there're at least two commemorative places in the area that we'll visit on this ride.
About 62 years later, a few kilometres away on late January 1972 on George Duncan's farm the first Sunbury festival was held headlined by Billy Thorpe & The Aztecs. There's a plaque nearby also commemorating this event.
Before arriving to Diggers Rest we'll have a look at the Woodland historic park and the surrounds from the Gellibrand Hill summit, once in Bulla we'll have a peek at the Alister Clark Memorial Rose Garden and at the Bohemian Bulla market.
There're a couple of pinches around Bulla but otherwise the route is fairly manageable. The ride, mostly on bike paths and quiet rural roads, finishes at Rockbank, where trains run back to Melbourne on the hour.
Lunch stop at Diggers Rest.

Any bike in good condition will do the job, preferable with 28+ mm tyres. 

 https://www.meetup.com/Melbourne-Bicycle-Touring-Club/events/276102322/

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/35148382 

 Meet at Essendon Station and we'll ride sections of the following trails- Moonee Ponds Creek, some backstreets, two unnamed trails, some backstreets, Maribyrnong River Trail, then finishing up back at Essendon Station.

We can stop for a coffee at Brimbank Park.

The pace will be social and we will regroup as needed.

Any type of bike in good working order will be ok.

https://www.meetup.com/Melbourne-Bicycle-Touring-Club/events/276226415

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/35153143 
Meet at Jeff's Shed and we'll ride the Sandridge Rail Trail to Station Pier where we'll take the Bay Trail along the beach to Mordialloc Station.

It looks like being a bit on the warm side so we have options to bail out at South Brighton or Sandringham, so far the wind forecast is offering an awesome tailwind to push us along.

We can stop for a coffee/snack somewhere along the way.

The pace will be social and we will regroup as needed.

Any type of bike in good working order will be ok.

https://www.meetup.com/Melbourne-Bicycle-Touring-Club/events/276244570 

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/35148145  

Meet at Jeff's Shed, Melbourne Convention Centre or join along the way.

Evening ride to Saintly Burgers in Elwood for dinner. Their burgers are served in organic house-made buns.
We will ride along the trail to Port Melbourne and then follow the foreshore trail to Elwood, and along Elwood canal.
After burgers, we can stop at Acland St for dessert, on the way back to Fed square, via Albert Park and St Kilda Rd on our return to the city.

https://www.meetup.com/Melbourne-Bicycle-Touring-Club/events/276135574

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/33083532  

We'll meet at Castlemaine station at 08:45, then head directly to a cafe in town for second breakfast. Then we will cycle along the rail trail from Castlemaine to Maldon, which runs mostly through bushland all the way.

We will have lunch at Maldon, and may take the opportunity to tour an historic tunnel under the town center (BYO torch and solid shoes).

Heading back to Castlemaine, I'd like to take a scenic route (rather than simply retrace our steps), via forest roads, before meeting up with the rail trail again.

I would expect we will arrive back in Castlemaine by around 4 to 4:30 pm, depending on how long we spend in Maldon.

Note that in planning the route I have quite purposefully sought to avoid sealed roads in preference of gravel roads and paths as much as possible. This means that we can enjoy our surroundings without the noise and stress of highway traffic whizzing past.

TRANSPORT:
Drive up to Castlemaine, park at the station. Some people may also catch the train, although space for bicycles is limited. 

 https://www.meetup.com/Melbourne-Bicycle-Touring-Club/events/276226187

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/27889875 

Ride the iconic Warburton Rail Trail. This is of easy or medium difficulty (the full length has a steady incline) and approximately 80Km return to Lilydale Rail Station or it could be shorter, depending where one turns around to return to Lilydale.
Compacted gravel all the way.
Several possibilities for morning tea and afternoon tea on the way.
Many possibilities for lunch at Warburton, but a picnic lunch by the river is refreshing.
This can be train or a car based ride, yopur choice.
Cars can be parked at Lilydale station, where we meet at 8:45 for 9am start. First stop for coffee would be Mt Evelyn, 7kms after steady incline.
Any well maintained bike would be OK.

There are ample parking spots near the station if you wish to drive to starting/finishing point.

https://www.meetup.com/Melbourne-Bicycle-Touring-Club/events/276065251 

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/34965815  

Lerderderg State Park is a little gem in Melbourne's backyard, great scenery, fresh air, lots of trees, and not many humans- the perfect place to go for a ride. This time we'll check out a section to the north in Wombat Forest.

The terrain will be mainly well maintained unsealed roads with a few rough bits thrown in to keep us awake. A reasonable level of fitness and endurance will be required but it's also not a race, the pace will vary according to the terrain. Bring snacks & water for the day.

This ride will be suitable for gravel beginners but not cycling beginners.

Bikes to be in good working order, suitable for touring or gravel bikes with minimum 35mm+ tyres.  

https://www.meetup.com/Melbourne-Bicycle-Touring-Club/events/276120103

An old favorite - easy social ride. About 15 km.

Meet on the South Bank of the Yarra, next to the Convention Centre and within sight of the bridge where Spencer St becomes Clarendon St.

It’s mainly along bike tracks. The route includes the well trodden... maybe well ridden path beside the light rail to Port Melbourne, then along the Bay foreshore.

You will not need lights at the start, but you WILL need lights to get home.

The destination is the well-recommended fish and chippery ‘The Fish Tank’, but other takeaway cafes are nearby.

http://www.fishtankbrighton.com.au

If the weather is mild, we’ll eat by the Bay, at or close to the rotunda. Otherwise we’ll sit at the outdoors tables at the old schoolhouse(?).

Ice cream afterwards optional.

To het home, Middle Brighton station is nearby (Sandringham line).

Did I mention that bike lights are essential? 

https://www.meetup.com/Melbourne-Bicycle-Touring-Club/events/276137745/ 

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/35038295 

A great chance for newer riders to gain some experience with bicycle-camping tours. This is a sealed-road tour through the delightful hill-country of West Gippsland (but not too hilly), where you will get great views of the peaceful countryside, cows, some distant coastline, cows, the forests of South Gippsland, and more cows. This is not a very hard ride overall but you will need to be able to handle some steepish grades for a kilometre or two at a time. The Korumburra Botanic Gardens Caravan Park has very good facilities, and you may wish to ride or walk into town for dinner.

The 7.54am Bairnsdale train from Southern Cross will get you to Drouin by 9.19am to meet us.

https://www.meetup.com/Melbourne-Bicycle-Touring-Club/events/275814905/ 

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/35092635 

From Flinders St station, Platform 3 , take Belgrave train to Belgrave station ( I will get on at Richmond at 8:19am )

Mainly on bike trails from Belgrave to Jell's Park where we have a lunch stop, then we continue to Mordialloc where we can get the train home.
Mostly flat and downhill, so an easy ride, but distance is about 60km so maybe a medium ride.

We will keep an easy social pace and the priority will be to stay together.

Bikes to be in good working order, any type of bike with tyres suitable for unsealed surfaces will be ok.

https://www.meetup.com/Melbourne-Bicycle-Touring-Club/events/276022812/